Lawyers serve as both advocates and advisers. As advocates, they speak for their clients in court by presenting supportive evidence. As advisers, they counsel their clients on their legal rights and obligations. Lawyers—also called attorneys and counselors—can interpret laws, apply laws to specific situations, and draft new laws.
Much of their work involves researching precedents, which are earlier interpretations of laws and the history of judicial decisions based on that law. Lawyers use precedents to support their cases in court. Many resources—from law libraries and public documents to computer databases and the Internet—are available to lawyers for research.
Many lawyers specialize. Criminal lawyers, for example, are hired by people facing prosecution for crimes. Public defenders are employed by the government to represent people who cannot afford to pay lawyers.
Some lawyers handle only civil cases, which do not involve criminal misconduct. For example, divorce and damage suits fall under civil law. Labor law concerns disputes between management and unionized workers, while patent law concerns disputes over the rights to inventions. Real estate law controls the purchase, sale, rental, and development of land and buildings. Some attorneys specialize in international law, the system of treaties and informal agreements between nations.
Some lawyers practice corporate law. They advise corporations on their rights, responsibilities, and obligations in business transactions. They may also represent the companies in government investigations and hearings.
Most lawyers have private practices that handle many kinds of legal problems. Some work for larger law firms, corporations, and government agencies. Others teach law. Some lawyers become district attorneys or judges, while many enter politics.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment